ring out

(transitive) to accompany the departure of with bells (esp in the phrase ring out the old year)

2.

(intransitive) to send forth a loud resounding noise

ring1

/rɪŋ/

noun

1.

a circular band usually of a precious metal, esp gold, often set with gems and worn upon the finger as an adornment or as a token of engagement or marriage

2.

any object or mark that is circular in shape

3.

a circular path or course: to run around in a ring

4.

a group of people or things standing or arranged so as to form a circle: a ring of spectators

5.

an enclosed space, usually circular in shape, where circus acts are performed

6.

a square apron or raised platform, marked off by ropes, in which contestants box or wrestle

7.

the ring, the sport of boxing

8.

the field of competition or rivalry

9.

throw one's hat in the ring, to announce one's intention to be a candidate or contestant

10.

a group of people usually operating illegally and covertly: a drug ring, a paedophile ring

11.

(esp at country fairs) an enclosure, often circular, where horses, cattle, and other livestock are paraded and auctioned

12.

an area reserved for betting at a racecourse

13.

a circular strip of bark cut from a tree or branch, esp in order to kill it

14.

a single turn in a spiral

15.

(geometry) the area of space lying between two concentric circles

16.

(maths) a set that is subject to two binary operations, addition and multiplication, such that the set is an Abelian group under addition and is closed under multiplication, this latter operation being associative

to fit a ring in the nose of (a bull, pig, etc) so that it can be led easily

24.

Also ringbark

to cut away a circular strip of bark from (a tree or branch) in order to kill it

to cut a narrow or partial ring from (the trunk of a tree) in order to check or prevent vigorous growth

25.

(Austral & NZ) to be the fastest shearer in a shearing shed (esp in the phrase ring the shed)

Word Origin

Old English hring; related to Old Norse hringr

ring2

/rɪŋ/

verb rings, ringing, rang, rung

1.

to emit or cause to emit a sonorous or resonant sound, characteristic of certain metals when struck

2.

to cause (a bell) to emit a ringing sound by striking it once or repeatedly or (of a bell) to emit such a sound

3.

(transitive) to cause (a large bell, esp a church bell) to emit a ringing sound by pulling on a rope that is attached to a wheel on which the bell swings back and forth, being sounded by a clapper inside it Compare chime1 (sense 6)

(intransitive) (of a bell) to sound by being swung in this way

4.

(intransitive) (of a building, place, etc) to be filled with sound; echo: the church rang with singing

5.

(intransitive) foll by for. to call by means of a bell, buzzer, etc: to ring for the butler

6.

(mainly Brit) Also ring up. to call (a person) by telephone

7.

(transitive) to strike or tap (a coin) in order to assess its genuineness by the sound produced

8.

(intransitive) (of the ears) to have or give the sensation of humming or ringing

9.

(intransitive) (electronics) (of an electric circuit) to produce a damped oscillatory wave after the application of a sharp input transition

10.

(slang) to change the identity of (a stolen vehicle) by using the licence plate, serial number, etc, of another, usually disused, vehicle

11.

ring a bell, to sound familiar; remind one of something, esp indistinctly

12.

ring down the curtain

to lower the curtain at the end of a theatrical performance

(foll by on) to put an end (to)

13.

ring false, to give the impression of being false

14.

ring the bell

to do, say, or be the right thing

to reach the pinnacle of success or happiness

15.

ring the changes, to vary the manner or performance of an action that is often repeated

16.

ring true, to give the impression of being true: that story doesn't ring true

noun

17.

the act of or a sound made by ringing

18.

a sound produced by or suggestive of a bell

19.

any resonant or metallic sound, esp one sustained or re-echoed: the ring of trumpets

20.

(informal, mainly Brit) a telephone call: he gave her a ring last night

21.

the complete set of bells in a tower or belfry: a ring of eight bells See peal1 (sense 3)

22.

an inherent quality or characteristic: his explanation has the ring of sincerity

23.

(electronics) the damped oscillatory wave produced by a circuit that rings

ring

n.

"circular band," Old English hring "small circlet, especially one of metal for wearing on the finger or as part of a mail coat; anything circular," from Proto-Germanic *khrengaz (cf. Old Norse hringr, Old Frisian hring, Danish, Swedish, Dutch ring, Old High German hring, German Ring), literally "something curved," from PIE *skrengh- nasalized form of (s)kregh-, from root *(s)ker- "to turn, bend," with wide-ranging derivative senses (cf. Latin curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" Old Church Slavonic kragu "circle," and perhaps Greek kirkos "ring," koronos "curved").

Other Old English senses were "circular group of persons," also "horizon." Meaning "place for prize fight and wrestling bouts" (early 14c.) is from the space in a circle of bystanders in the midst of which such contests once were held, "... a circle formed for boxers, wrestlers, and cudgel players, by a man styled Vinegar; who, with his hat before his eyes, goes round the circle, striking at random with his whip to prevent the populace from crowding in" [Grose, 1788]. Meaning "combination of interested persons" is from 1829. Of trees, from 1670s; fairy ring is from 1620s. Ring finger is Old English hringfingr, a compound found in other Germanic languages. To run rings round (someone) "be superior to" is from 1891.

Nursery rhyme ring a ring a rosie is attested in an American form (with a different ending) from c.1790. "The belief that the rhyme originated with the Great Plague is now almost universal, but has no evidence to support it and is almost certainly nonsense" ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]. This proposal of connection dates only to the late 1960s.

1540s, "set of church bells," from ring (v.1). Meaning "a call on the telephone" is from 1900; to give (someone) a ring "call on the telephone" was in use by 1910. Meaning "a ringing tone" is from 1620s; specifically "the ringing sound made by a telephone" by 1951. Meaning "resonance of coin or glass as a test of genuineness" is from 1850, with transferred use (ring of truth, etc.).

v.

"sound a bell," Old English hringan "sound, give a certain resonant sound when struck; announce by bells," from Proto-Germanic *khrenganan (cf. Old Norse hringja, Swedish ringa, Middle Dutch ringen), probably of imitative origin. Related: Rang; rung. Originally a weak verb, strong inflexion began in early Middle English by influence of sing, etc. To ring down a theatrical curtain is from 1772, from the custom of signaling for it by ringing a bell. To ring up a purchase on a cash register is by 1937, from the bell that sounded. Specialized sense "give a resonant sound when struck as an indication of genuineness or purity," with transferred use (e.g. to ring hollow) is from 1610s.

"make a circle around," Old English ymbhringan, from the root of ring (n.1). Intransitive sense "gather in a ring" is mid-15c. Sense of "provide or attach a ring" is late 14c. Meaning "move in a circle around" is from 1825. Related: Ringed; ringing. Cf. Frisian ringje, Middle Dutch and Dutch ringen, Old High German ringan, German ringen, Old Norse hringa, hringja.

A set of elements subject to the operations of addition and multiplication, in which the set is an abelian group under addition and associative under multiplication and in which the two operations are related by distributive laws.

A group of atoms linked by bonds that may be represented graphically in circular or triangular form. Benzene, for example, contains a ring of six carbon atoms. All cyclic compounds contain one or more rings. See annulus.

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.Cite This Source

ring out in the Bible

Used as an ornament to decorate the fingers, arms, wrists, and also the ears and the nose. Rings were used as a signet (Gen. 38:18). They were given as a token of investment with authority (Gen. 41:42; Esther 3:8-10; 8:2), and of favour and dignity (Luke 15:22). They were generally worn by rich men (James 2:2). They are mentioned by Isiah (3:21) among the adornments of Hebrew women.